The use of computer systems and computer-related technologies continues to increase at a rapid pace. This increased use of computer systems has influenced the advances made to computer-related technologies. Indeed, computer systems have increasingly become an integral part of the business world and the activities of individual consumers. Computer systems may be used to carry out several business, industry, and academic endeavors. The wide-spread use of computers has been accelerated by the increased use of computer networks, including the Internet. Many businesses use one or more computer networks to communicate and share data between the various computers connected to the networks. The productivity and efficiency of employees often requires human and computer interaction.
Storage devices for data have also increasingly become an integral part of the business world and the activities of individual consumers. A data storage device may store information, process information, or both. A storage device may store a copy of data as a backup so that the original data may be restored from the copy in case a data loss event occurs. The storage device may be part of a computer system or an external device that connects to the computer system.
Data stored on a storage device may be encrypted. Encrypting such data on a storage device may help protect the data should physical security measures fail (e.g., theft of a computer system, etc.). Computer systems may use some form of encryption software to encrypt and decrypt data. The data that is encrypted/decrypted may be in the form of files (or sectors of) hard drives and removable media, email messages, or in the form of packets sent over computer networks. Software encryption has increasingly become a fundamental part of modern computer communications and file protection.
Software encryption may use parts (or sectors) of a storage device (e.g., hard drive) to store information relating to the encryption software itself. For example, certain sectors of a hard drive may store keys or other data pertaining to the functionality of the encryption software. Because these sectors are reserved by the encryption software, data that is encrypted is not able to be stored on these sectors. Errors and other complications arise if a data write is attempted on a reserved sector of a hard drive. As such, benefits may be realized by providing improved systems and methods for storing (or restoring) data to an software encrypted hard drive or other storage device.